Online access to digitally recorded material is releasing archivists and librarians around the world from their dusty chambers of stored papers.
The sa国际传媒 Archives, for example, is putting online all records of births, deaths and marriages that occurred in the province. Archivists no longer have to physically remove material from stacks to hand to a client standing at a counter.
鈥淚t allows people who don鈥檛 have the money to make a research trip to the Island to do what they need to do from anywhere,鈥� says Ember Lundgren, preservation manager at Royal sa国际传媒 Museum and Archives.
But Lundgren says this new ease of access has to be approached with caution.
Some material held at the archives, such as books, television shows or music, is under copyright and can鈥檛 be made available without permission. Even digital recordings of First Nations songs, prayers or symbols can鈥檛 be made available without following cultural protocols.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all quite new,鈥� said Lundgren. 鈥淪o there is no set 鈥榯his is what we should do鈥� yet.
鈥淩ight now, we are at a stage of 鈥楾his is what we think we can do,鈥� but there are so many other issues.鈥�
